Sengkang West Bus Depot is a multi-storey bus depot along Seletar West Road 1. The five-storey bus depot is Singapore’s first depot outfitted to support the large-scale deployment of electric buses, and includes on-site staff quarters that provide accommodation for transport workers.

The depot was handed over to SBS Transit in August 2024. Bus operations based at Sengkang West began on 4 January 2025.

General Information
Name	Sengkang West Bus Depot
Address	8 Seletar West Road 1, Singapore 798990 / 12 Seletar West Road 2, Singapore 798989
Depot Information
BCM Route Package (Anchor)	Sengkang–Hougang Bus Package
Anchor Operator	SBS Transit
Years In Operation	2025–Present
Catchment	Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Sengkang, Buangkok

Introduction

Sengkang West Bus Depot is the fifth bus depot (after Ulu Pandan Bus Depot) that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) developed and funded, as well as the second multi-storey bus depot commissioned by LTA under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), which sees the Government assuming ownership of all bus assets, including bus depots. East Coast Bus Depot, which commenced construction earlier, is still under construction.

The depot is also the first in Singapore to support the large-scale deployment of electric buses. It can accommodate a fleet of around 500 electric and diesel/hybrid buses, and is equipped with facilities such as:

Parking spaces, with 360 kW EV chargers
Refuelling and washing facilities
Repair and maintenance facilities
Administrative offices to support day-to-day bus operations
Operations Control Centre
Staff canteen
Bus Captain Lounge

Vehicle entrances and exits are located at Seletar West Road 1 and Seletar West Road 2.

Construction and Planning

The location of Sengkang West Bus Depot was confirmed in April 2017 through the approval of changes to the URA Masterplan 2014. The depot is situated at the junction of Seletar West Road 1 and Seletar West Road 2.

Contract DE133 for the Design and Construction of Sengkang West Bus Depot was published on 3 May 2018. On 25 Jun 2019, the contract was awarded to Santarli Construction Pte Ltd–Zheng Keng Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd Joint Venture at a sum of SGD 202.12 million.

As part of the Ministry of Transport’s Financial Year 2019 Expenditure Estimates, an item for “Independent Multi-Storey Bus Depot-cum-Dormitory at Sengkang West” was listed, indicating an attached dormitory at Sengkang West Bus Depot. In response to a media query by Lianhe Zaobao in March 2019, an LTA spokesperson confirmed this, stating that a dormitory for Bus Captains would be built as part of the Sengkang West Bus Depot project, to maximise land use and reduce travelling time for Bus Captains commuting to and from the Bus Depot.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated delays, the completion of Sengkang West Bus Depot was delayed from 2023 to 2024. This was announced by Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung in a written reply to a Parliamentary Question posed in October 2020.

Sengkang West Bus Depot was initially designed to accommodate around 600 buses, according to a Lianhe Zaobao article in 2019. The final figure was revised down to around 500 buses in October 2024, as per LTA’s press release. No reasons have been given for the reduced bus capacity, but this could be due to additional space required to accommodate EV charging infrastructure.

Bus Captain Dormitory block

The eight-storey on-site staff quarters provide accommodation for transport workers, including bus captains. The block comprises 39 apartment units that can accommodate up to 350 beds. Each apartment has ensuite toilets, a kitchen, and a yard. Staff will also have access to recreational facilities such as a TV room and a multi-purpose hall within the premises.

Sengkang West Bus Depot – Dormitory Block

For Illustration; Staff Quarters at Sengkang West Bus Depot (Photo: LTA)

The dormitory block has a separate entrance from the Bus Depot (along Seletar West Road 3), and is connected to the Bus Depot building via internal access gates.

Charging Infrastructure

EV chargers were installed at Sengkang West Bus Depot to support LTA’s rapid bus electrification goals. 1 in 2 public buses will be electric by 2030, and LTA expects to procure more than 2,000 electric buses by 2029.

From December 2024, the depot’s charging infrastructure will be used to support the deployment of 10 BYD BC12A04 electric buses. These buses are part of an order for 420 new 3-door electric single-deck buses procured by LTA in November 2023.

EV Chargers in Sengkang West Bus Depot (Photo: LTA)

The chargers at this depot were installed under Contract BD401A, awarded to a Busways Pte Ltd/Shell Singapore Pte Ltd consortium. 240 dual-gun CCS2 DC chargers were installed at Sengkang West Bus Depot, with each pile rated at 360 kW. With dual-gun charging, each charging pile allows for single-deck buses to be fully charged in less than 1.5 hours.

LTA also announced in October 2024 that it would deploy new 3-door single-deck electric buses on bus services 86, 107, and 159, which are part of the Sengkang–Hougang Bus Package.

Bus Operations

The completed bus depot was handed over by LTA to SBS Transit in August 2024 for outfitting works, in preparation for bus depot operations to begin in early 2025.

An official handover ceremony was held on 23 October 2024, attended by Minister of State for Transport, Murali Pillai, and representatives from LTA and SBS Transit. Overnight parking of some buses began in December 2024.

Bus operations at Sengkang West Bus Depot began on 4 January 2025, in tandem with the closure of Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot (AMDEP) on the same day. Sengkang Bus services were redeployed from both Hougang Bus Depot (HGDEP) and AMDEP to Sengkang West Depot, including all 35 bus routes under the Sengkang–Hougang Bus Package.